Peppermint Shortbread Bar Cookies Recipes

PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl.
• Use a pastry blender to cut in butter. You want very fine crumbs.
• Stir in extract, food coloring, and Andes peppermint crunch chips.
• Use your hands to knead the dough until it comes together and forms a ball.
• Shape dough into a log about two inches in a diameter and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for two hours.
• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut slices of cookie dough about 1/4 inch thick and place on baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until cookies are set. Do not over bake.
• Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack. Let cool completely.
• Store in airtight container for 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

PEPPERMINT BAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, then beat in the food coloring and vanilla and peppermint extracts, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the flour mixture in two batches until just combined.
• Spread the dough in the baking dish, pressing it with your hands until flat and even. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
• As soon as the bars come out of the oven, top with the white chocolate chips in a single layer. Let sit 2 minutes to soften, then spread into a thin layer with an offset spatula. Put the red candy melts in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until melted. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag and snip a corner. Pipe diagonal stripes on top of the white chocolate. Sprinkle with the peppermint candies. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the bars cool completely.
• If the white chocolate is still soft, place the baking dish in the freezer for a few minutes until set. Lift the bars out of the baking dish, peel off the foil and cut into pieces.

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT BARS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing 2 inches of paper to hang over the sides.
• Make the shortbread: In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Add butter and process until a smooth dough forms. Press dough evenly into the bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake until firm to the touch, and sides of the crust are beginning to pull away from the pan, about 25 minutes. Cool completely.
• Make the filling: In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners' sugar, butter, cream and peppermint extract. Beat until mixture forms a thick, smooth paste. Press filling evenly over shortbread. Chill to set the filling for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Use parchment paper overhang to lift the shortbread and peppermint out of the baking pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares (there should be 36 squares). Place squares on a rack placed over a parchment-lined sheet tray, and let them come to room temperature for about 15 minutes.
• In the top of a double boiler or in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt 7 ounces chocolate, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat, add remaining 2 ounces chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.
• Add coconut oil, if using, and stir the chocolate until smooth. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate on top of a cut peppermint square, using the back of the spoon to spread chocolate to the edges. Be sure to fully cover the top of the square with chocolate. (Leave the sides exposed, though it's O.K. if some of the chocolate drips down.) Repeat with remaining squares.
• Let squares sit at room temperature until chocolate is set, at least 1 hour.

PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD BITES

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour and peppermint extract.
• On ungreased cookie sheet, pat dough into 6-inch square, about 3/4 inch thick. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 325°F. On cookie sheet, cut dough into 8 rows by 8 rows, making 64 squares. With knife, separate rows by 1/4 inch.
• Bake 28 to 35 minutes or until set and edges are just starting to turn golden. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix crushed candy and granulated sugar. In small resealable food-storage plastic bag, place melted candy coating. Seal bag; cut tiny hole in corner of bag.
• Do not remove cookies from cookie sheet. Pipe candy coating over cookies. Before candy coating sets, sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Place cookies to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

PEPPERMINT BARK COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat butter, vegetable shortening, light brown sugar, and white sugar in a separate large bowl until creamy. Beat eggs, vanilla and peppermint extracts, and red food coloring into butter mixture until smooth. Gradually beat dry ingredients into wet ingredients until dough is smooth. Fold white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes into dough.
• Pinch off 1-tablespoon-sized pieces of dough, roll into balls, and place on ungreased baking sheets. Lightly flatten cookies with the bottom of a drinking glass.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are set but not browned, 9 to 10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to finish cooling on wire racks.

PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD THINS

Steps:

• In food processor, place peppermint candies. Cover; process until finely ground.
• In large bowl, beat butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in ground candies, flour and salt just until blended. Shape dough into 8x2-inch log; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Unwrap dough; cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
• Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• In small bowl, mix remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, the milk and peppermint extract. Divide glaze in half. Tint half of glaze with red food color. Drizzle red and white glazes over cookies. Store loosely covered.

PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix butter, sugar, crushed candy and vanilla -- gradually blending in flour and corn starch.
• Form 1-inch balls and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Gently press down on each cookie to flatten.
• Bake in 300°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bottoms start to brown.
• Cool and remove to a wire rack.
• Combine confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla until frosting is smooth. Drizzle on cookies and sprinkle with crushed candy.

CHOCOLATE-PEPPERMINT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Grease an 8-by-8-inch brownie pan with butter and line the bottom and two sides with parchment. Set a rack in the lower-middle position of the oven and heat to 350 degrees.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and set on medium-high speed, beat the butter, brown sugar and salt until creamy, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and paddle with a rubber spatula. Add the yolk and vanilla, and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cocoa, and mix until everything comes together, about 1 minute, stopping once during mixing to scrape down the paddle and the bowl.
• Scrape the dough into the prepared pan. Using an offset spatula and your hands, press the dough into the pan as evenly as possible. Use a fork to prick the dough all over. Bake until the shortbread smells chocolatey and feels set and dry, 30 to 35 minutes. Wash and dry the mixing bowl and set aside.
• Remove shortbread from oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees. Using the parchment, lift the cookies out of the pan onto a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
• Make the meringue: Pour water into a medium saucepan to come 1 1/2 inches up the sides and bring to a bare simmer over medium-low heat.
• Whisk the egg whites, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer just to combine. Set the bowl over the simmering water (bowl should not touch water) and heat the egg mixture, stirring and scraping constantly with a heatproof rubber spatula, until the sugar dissolves, the mixture is hot and steamy, and the temperature registers 175 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 4 to 6 minutes. (Be patient and cook the egg whites slowly so they don't curdle.)
• Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and whip the mixture until stiff and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes. Whip in the peppermint extract and scrape the meringue onto the shortbread.
• Evenly spread the meringue with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. If using liquid food coloring, add a few random drops onto the meringue. If using gel food coloring, use the tip of a toothpick to randomly dab the tiniest bit of food coloring onto the meringue. Using the tip of an offset spatula or spoon, swirl the color into the meringue, creating peaks and streaks.
• Bake on the wire rack set on the sheet pan until the meringue feels dry and crisp, about 2 hours. Turn off the oven and prop open the door with a wooden spoon. Allow the cookies to cool in the oven, about another hour. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cut the cookies into random pieces. The cookies will keep for 1 week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

CANDY CANE SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with parchment, letting ends extend up sides., In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and extract. Gradually beat in flour. Press evenly into prepared pan., Bake 16-19 minutes or until edges are brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack., In a bowl, combine buttercream ingredients; beat until smooth. Spread over shortbread. Carefully spread white chocolate over top. Sprinkle with candy canes; let stand until set., Lifting with parchment, remove shortbread from pan. Cut into bars.

PEPPERMINT BARK SHORTBREAD BITES FROM THE COOKIE BOOK

Steps:

• To make the cookies, in an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and brown sugar and mix on medium for about 4 minutes, or until well blended. With the mixer on low, add in the egg yolk, vanilla and peppermint extract and run for 2 minutes more or until completely blended. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Add this to the butter mixture and run on low for 2 minutes, or until everything is combined and the dough has come together. Separate the dough into two hunks and shape each into a log with about a 2-inch (5-cm) circumference. It's a little messy, but you can do it. Grab two pieces of plastic wrap, place a dough log on each,.
• wrap tightly and roll the logs on the counter to round them out a bit. Place in the freezer for 1 hour or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and cover several baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the sparkling sugar in a pie plate or casserole dish. Set aside.
• Once the logs are firm and chilled, roll them in the sparkling sugar to coat and then cut ½-inch (1.3-cm) thick slices using a sharp knife. Place them on the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) between cookies. Place the cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes or the fridge for 20 minutes.
• Bake one sheet at a time in center of the oven for 14 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
• To make the cookie coating, in a medium, heat-safe bowl add the dark chocolate and set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Stir frequently until melted and smooth and then turn off the heat. In another.
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